Device for destroying vegetation along railway-tracks



(No M-edel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. HAWKSWORTH.

DEVIGE FOR DESTROYING VEGETATION ALONG RAILWAY TRACKS. No; 342,091.Patented May 18 18 86.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet D. HAWKSWORTH.

DEVICE FOR DESTROYING VEGETAIION ALONG RAILWAY TRACKS.

No. 342,091. Patented May 18, 1886,

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(No Model.)

D. HAWKSWO RTH.

DEVICE FOR DESTEOYING VBGETATION ALONG RAILWAY TRAOKS.

No. 342,091. Patented May 18.71886;

new method of destroying grass, weeds, &c.,

ployed by me, the object being to simplify and PATENT FFICE.

DAVID HAXVKSVVORTH, OF PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA.

DEVICE FOR DESTROYING VEGETATION ALONG RAILWAY-TRACKS.

EEPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,091, dated May 18,1886.

Application filed March 1, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Davin HAWKSWORTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Plattsmouth, in the county of Case and $tate of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forDestroyi ng Vegetation Along Railway-Tracks; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

On the 17th day of November, 1885, Letters Patent of the United States,Nos. 330,700 and 330,701, were issued to me, the first for a onrailway-tracks, and the second for apparatus adapted to carry theprocess or method into effect.

My present invention relates to certain improvements upon the apparatusoriginally emimprove the construction, rendering it more compact andbettersuited to its purpose than that shown and described in my formerLetters Patent above referred to. l 7

As set forth in my Patent No. 380,700, my method consists, first, indirecting and impelling downward upon the vegetation to be destroyed,hotproducts of combustion from a furnace commingled with steam; and,secondly, in directing andimpelling downward upon the vegetation to bedestroyed in a commingled state, hot products of combustion from afurnace, steam from a boiler, and exhaust-steam from an engine.

In order to carry the process into effect upon railways by means of arailway-locomotive, the products of combustion from the furnace arediverted from the smokestackto a flue leading to the ground, theimpelling agentbeing steam under pressure directed into the downwardflue, and this impelling agent may be either live steam orexhaust-steam, or (and preferably) both combined. Thus the corn binedblighting influences of the products of combustion and the hot steam arebrought to bear upon the vegetation, producing a more effective andeconomical destroying agentthan steam alone, and a far more desirableone than the hot products of combustion alone, since the steam, whiledestructive in itself, serves to modify the hot products of combustionand Serial No. 193,618. (No model.)

deprive them of their tendency to ignite the vegetatiomand therebyendanger property.

As shown and described in my patent for the method, No. 330,700, and asshown, de scribed, and claimed in my patent for the device, No. 330,701,the leading features of my apparatus as formerly constructed comprisetwo flues projecting forward from the smokearch and inclined downward toa point a little above the track, the fines being provided with flaringlower ends, and with dampers for opening and closing them,'and also withsteampipes leading into them from the dome, and additional steam-pipesleading into them from the exhaust, to create the necessary draftthrough these flues from the smoke'arch, and the smoke-stack beingprovided with a damper to permit it to be closed, so that all the hotproducts of combustion may, when desired, be directed to the ground. Bymy present construction a single flue projects horizontally forward fromthe smokearch', and then curves downward to a vertical position,extending nearly to'the track. The vertical portion is made laterallyflaring, and is divided into two passages in part by a casting angularupon its upper end, and in part by partitions below the casting.Thesteam,instead of being taken from the dome, is taken from thesteam-pipe crotch within the smoke-arch by a'pipe which terminates justabovethe angle of the casting which divides the flue, and this angledivides the steam, directing it equallyinto the passages. The steam-pipeis operated by a valve from the cab, and another valve, also operatedfrom the cab, directs the exhaust-steam either vertically into thesmokestack or horizontally into the ground-fine, The lower end of theground-fine is provided with dampers in the form of removable slidingplates, which are wholly detached when the locomotive is in use as aweed-destroyer, and placed in position only when the locomotive is usedfor other purposcs such as switching and the like-in which latter casethe damper of the smoke-stack is raised, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotiveengineprovided with my weed destroying attachment in the form whichconstitutes the subject of my present charge-orifice, Z, the latterbeingin the direcapplication; Fig. 2, a central vertical section of theforward portion of the same, showing certain parts in elevation; Fig. 3,a front elevation of the same with a portion of the ground-flue brokenaway to show the internal construction; Fig. 4, a sectional plan view ofthe forward portion; Fig. 5, a vertical section of the exhaust tube andvalve; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the casting which divides theground'flue; Fig. 7, an enlarged view in detail of the lower end of theground-flue, showing the mode of attaching the damper,

, and Fig. 8 a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

A is the smoke-arch; B, the steam-pipes branching from the steam-pipecrotch C.

D is the smoke-stack, provided with a damper, E.

F is the exhaust-pipe, leading into the smoke-arch.

G is the ground-flue, projectingforward horizontally from the smoke-archsufficiently to clear the trucks, and thence turning to a verticalposition and terminating just above the track. At about the point wherethe ground-flue assumes a vertical direction it is divided into twopassages by the casting H,

which is made annular, as shown, for the passage through it of thedraw-head I. Below the casting H are two partitions, K-one at each sideof the center of the flue-which supplement the casting H in dividing theVertical portion of the flue into two passages.

L is a steam-pipe extending from the steam-, pipe crotch downward to apoint in line with the interior of the flue G, then horizontally andlaterally to a point near the side of the smoke-arch, then forward to apoint near the front wall of the smoke-arch, then laterally to a' pointin line with the lower end of the vertical portion leading from thesteampipe crotch, then forward and down to a bearing,

' t, formed upon the upper end of the casting H to receive it. The endof the pipe L passes through an opening in the bearing it, just over theangle 8 of the casting, upon which the steam is discharged, and whichdiverts it both ways into the side passages. in the nature of a bridgeacross an open chair nel formed in and extending down each side of thecasting H, and the portion of the casting constituting the bottom of thechannel converges to an edge at the top, forming the dividing-angle s.

In the portion of the pipe Lwhich lies nearest the side wall of thesmoke-arch is a valve, 0", operated by a rod, q, incased in a branchpipe, p, extending through the wall of the smoke-arch to the exterior ofthe same.

Upon the end of the rod q is a crank, o, to which a rod, n, isconnected. The rod n leads back along the outside of the engine into theinterior of the cab to bring it within convenient reach of the engineer.

The exhaust F is provided with a vertical dischargeorifice, m, and ahorizontal distion of the ground-flue G. The exhaust-tube The bearingtis F contains a valve, 7c, by which the discharge of exhaust-steam maybe caused to take place either through the port I or the port m, and

this valve is operated in the same manner as the valve 1", by acrank-rod, 45, passing through a branch tube, 19, to the exterior of theengine, and a rod connected to the crank and extending into the interiorof the cab.

Upon the lower end of the flue G is a collar, M, flanged outward uponits lower edge, as shown at h, to form the slide for the dampers N,which consist of metal plates flanged over upon their side edges, asshown at g, to fit upon the flange h of the collar M. Two such dampersare employed, and are slid into position from opposite sides. ers areplaced in position, they are each secured by a nut-bolt, f, passingthrough the end of the damper and the flange h.

The general operation of my device is similar to that of the devicedescribed in my former Letters Patent. When it is desired to use thelocomotive as a weed-destroyer, the damper of the smoke-stack is closed,and the dampers at the bottom of the ground-flue are taken off, thevalve r in the pipeL is opened, and this permits the steam from theboiler to flow against the angle 3 of the casting H, and thence by wayof the side passages to the ground,

When the damp:

the force of the flow serving to draw along the hot products ofcombustion as they accumulate in the smoke-arch. At the same time thevalve 70 is so turned as to close the port at and open the port I, sothat the exhaust-steam also flows into the flue G,and lends itsimpelling force to that of the live steam. The hot products ofcombustion, commingled with steam, striking upon the ground-vegetationeffectually blight and destroy it. \Vhen it is desired to use thelocomotive for ordinary purposes, it may readilybe converted by openingthe damper of the smoke-stack, fitting the dampers to the lower end oftheflue G, shutting the valve 1, and turning the valve 70 so that theport Z will be closed and the port at open.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a locomotive-engine having its smoke-stackprovided with a damper for closing it, a flue leading from the smokearchnearly to the track, a pipe leading from the steam-pipe crotchwithin thesmoke-arch into the interior of the flue, and a valve in the said pipeoperated from the exterior of the engine, whereby the hot products ofcombus a valve and means for opening and closing it from the exterior ofthe engine, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a locomotive-engine having its smoke-stackprovided with a damp er for closing it, the flue G, casting H, dividingthe flaring vertical portion of the flue G into two passages, and havingthe angle 8 for dividing the steam, and bearing ifor the steampipe abovethe said angle, steam-pipe L, extending from the steam-pipe crotcharound the side of the smoke-arch and along the flue G into the bearing15, valve 1' in the steampipe L, and tube 1), and crank-rods q o a, foroperating the same, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a locomotive-engine having its smoke-stackprovided with a damper for closing it, flue G, steam-pipe L, valve 9' inthe said steam-pipe, and means for operating the said valve from theexterior of the locomotive, the casting H, provided with the angle 3 andbearing 15 above the same, for the steanr-pipe, and made annular for thepassage through it of the draw-head, and the partitions, K forcontinuing the passages below the casting H, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a locomotive-engine having its smoke-stackprovided with a damper for closing it, a flue extending from thesmoke-arch nearly to the tracks, exhaust-pipe F, having the verticalport m and the horizon tal port Z in line with the ground-flue-valve k,for opening and closing the said ports alternately, and means foroperating the valve from the exterior of the engine, substantially asdescribed.

6. In combination witha locomotive-engine having its smoke stackprovided with a damper for closing it, the flue G,having its verticalportion divided into two passages, pipe L,for conveying steam from thesteam-pipe crotch into both passages, valve 4' in the steampipe L,exhaustpipe Ehaving the Vertical port m and the horizontal port Z,inline with the flue G, valve k in the exhaust-pipe F, for opening andclosing the ports m and Z alternately, and means, substantially asdescribed, for operating both the valve 1' and the valve 70 from thecab.

7. In combination witha locomotive-engine having its Smokestack providedwith a damper for closing it, the flue G,for conveying products ofcombustion, commingled with steam, to the ground, said flue beingprovided with removable dampers on its lower end, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

, 8. The ground-flue G, projecting from the smokearch of a locomotive,in combination with the collar M, having the flange h, sliding dampersN, having the flanges g fitting the flanges h of the collar, andnut-boltf, for se curing the dampers in place, substantially asdescribed.

DAVID HAVVKSWORTH.

In presence of J. E. MoRRIs, R. D. GALLAGHER.

